10 Places Movie Buffs Need To Visit While In Los Angeles

If you're visiting LA, then chances are you're going to want to see what Hollywood has to offer. Give these movie specific locations a shot.

Los Angeles may be known as the city of angels, but it’s also the city of stars. Film buffs and movie fans have been trecking to Los Angeles for decades now just trying to get a glimpse of some of the stars and sights that make Hollywood such a picturesque location. Los Angeles may be a great place for any visitor, for cinephiles, in particular, Los Angeles with some of the most important sites in Cinema history. Some of the greatest films ever written were written right in Los Angeles. Many of the greatest films ever recorded, shot right in Los Angeles. So let’s take a look at what it has to offer to the movie buff in us all.

RELATED: 10 Great Cafes In Los Angeles For Getting Work Done

10 The Hollywood Walk Of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is perhaps the most obvious place in Los Angeles to visit for anyone hoping to see the stars. They may not be in person, or alive for that matter, but stars from back in 1958--when the Walk of Fame was first unveiled-- can all be found on this 1.3 miles of sidewalk that stretches across Hollywood boulevard. Most people know about the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but many just let it pass by beneath their feet without ever learning more than what’s on the surface. So before visitors stop by this Hollywood landmark, take a moment to get to know the history that’ll rest just beneath their feet.

9 Universal Studios Hollywood

Much like Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood has been bringing film fans into the world of cinema for decades now. Unlike Disneyland, Universal Studios is actually where the magic happens. They give tours of the stages, have rides, do haunted mazes themed as horror icons in pop culture such as Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, and Saw. Universal Studios is an experience perfectly tailored to the movie fans in every Los Angeles visitor and local alike. While Disneyland is meant to be an immersive experience that brings you into the world of Disney, Universal Studios has given movie fans a peek behind the scenes.

RELATED: 10 Hidden Gems Only Los Angeles Locals Know About

8 Griffith Observatory

Not only is Griffith Observatory a setting for many an icon scene (Rebel Without A Cause, La La Land, The Terminator-- just to name a few), but it’s also the site of a tribute to one of Hollywood’s fallen stars, James Dean. The story of the bust is actually a very interesting one. One that interested parties should definitely lookup, but for now let’s just start with the fact that the artst, Kenneth Kendall, actually began work on the sculpture the night that Dean lost his life in a tragic car accident. But that’s only the beginning. Stop by Griffith Park to discover more or the story in person.

7 Union Station

Like Griffith Observatory, Union Station has been the site of many iconic scenes throughout cinema history. From Bladerunner and The Dark Knight Rises to films like Catch Me If You Can and Pearl Harbor, Union Station is not only a hub for different worlds in cinema, but the trains that pull in and out every day can get you just about anywhere an intrepid cinephile may want to visit (like Universal Studios. Just a few short stops away on the red line).

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6 Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

On May 18, 1927, the grand opening of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was one of the most spectacular and star-studded events in cinema history. People line the streets in thousands to see the stars that showed up to the premiere of Cecil B. Demille’s “The King Of Kings”. Since then Grauman’s has premiered films like Star Wars and host numerous Academy Awards ceremonies. While cinephiles may not get the star-treatment that some have grown accustomed to at Grauman’s, they can still get some fresh popcorn and catch up on the latest and greatest feature films at a Los Angeles Landmark.

5 Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Many film fans will be love coming to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for the films they play throughout the year. They’ll love grabbing a blanket, some close friends, some food from the food trucks and pop-ups set up at the event, and maybe even a few drinks. Others will enjoy the cemetery for its more...historic qualities. While it does host events like films, live music, and more, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is an actual cemetery. With actual celebrities buried on its grounds. Celebrities like Cecil B. Demille (who was mentioned earlier), Judy Garland, and even Anton Yelchin are all buried there.

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4 Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre

Grauman’s is that larger than life, lavish theatre that visitors imagine when they think of old Hollywood. In fact, Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre is crediting with hosting the first Hollywood premiere ever. On Wednesday, October 18, 1922, Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre premiered Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks. After the decline of Hollywood in the late 80s early 90s (with which the theatre followed suit), the Egyptian Theatre was sold for a whopping one dollar to the American Cinematheque on the condition that it was returned to its former grandeur. Pretty good deal for everyone involved. Especially film fans.

3 Warner Bros. Studios

Warner Brothers Studio tours give movie lovers a chance to get behind the scenes and really learn what’s going on in their favorite films and series. From tours of the sets of The Big Bang Theory, Harry Potter, DC universe and even tours of the backlots and sound stages, Warner Bros. Studios is doing a terrific job of showing what it takes to create some of Hollywood’s biggest films. Anyone looking to get to know some of their favorite series just a little better should definitely check out some of their tours.

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2 The New Beverly Cinema

7165 Beverly boulevard has a long and storied history. At different times before 1978, it was a nightclub, a candy store, a beer parlor, a french restaurant, any number of things. But, in 1978, when it was purchased by Sherman Togan, it would take on it’s most recent identity, A movie theatre. Back in 2007, Quentin Tarantino purchased the building that the New Beverly is located in, ever since then Tarantino has spent his time making the theatre a bastion of 35mm film. A shrine to a time before the digital age.

1 The Margaret Herrick Library

Fans of both film and literature will enjoy the Margaret Herrick Library. Not only is the Margaret Herrick Library home to over 80,000 screenplays, 35,000 posters, 32,000 books, and 10 million photographs, it’s also one of the largest research libraries in the country. Los Angeles is great place to get lost in the art of cinema, but it’s also one of the best places in the world to learn the art of cinema, to understand how and why it works the way it does. This library is a cornerstone of that of the endeavor.

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Hollywood Bowl Overlook

24 Hollywood tourist attractions you shouldn’t miss

Hollywood attractions can be overwhelming (and often disappointing), so stick to these iconic L.A. movie theaters, hotels, restaurants and landmarks

Michael Juliano

Hollywood boasts an international reputation like no other neighborhood in Los Angeles. But ask your average Angeleno what they think of it and you’ll likely be met with groans. Yes, it’s busy, touristy and often in disrepair. But parts of Hollywood still sparkle with gems of old glamorous hotels and celebrity hangouts along with an emerging urban cityscape and working production scene. Follow our guide to what to see in Hollywood and tour the iconic movie town’s must-visit attractions along with a few stops away from the crowds on the Walk of Fame and Sunset Boulevard .

RECOMMENDED: Read more things to do in Hollywood  

This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here .

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Top attractions in Hollywood

Hollywood Bowl

Hollywood Bowl

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This gorgeous outdoor amphitheatre has been hosting concerts since the LA Philharmonic first played here in 1922. Nestled in an aesthetically blessed fold in the Hollywood Hills, the 18,000-seat venue can bring out the romantic in the terminally cynical. It’s the summer home of the LA Phil (and boozy picnics); as long as there’s no performance, it also doubles as a public park .

Fly high on a Hollywood helicopter tour.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood

Madame Tussauds Hollywood

  • Arcades and amusements

There are easier ways to meet your favorite stars than stalking their homes, or trying to sneak your way into the VIP areas at expensive clubs. Simply head to Madame Tussauds Hollywood and hang out with the likes of Brad Pitt, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and Marilyn Monroe. And the best bit? They’ll stay still for all your snaps. Nobody will ever know...

Chinese Theatre

Chinese Theatre

  • Movie theaters

The forecourt of this iconic movie theater, filled with foot and hand prints of Hollywood icons, is kind of a tourist-choked hot mess. Most people flock here to measure their own extremities against the likes of John Wayne and Judy Garland. But past that, it’s an entirely different story. You can avoid the crowds by catching a flick inside, where the auditorium is as stunning as the IMAX screen’s laser projection quality (perhaps the best in town ).

Take a Hollywood and Beverly Hills minibus tour.

The Hollywood Sign

The Hollywood Sign

  • Sightseeing

Originally created in 1923, the then “Hollywoodland” sign was supposed to be up for only a year and a half, yet here it is a century later . Getting close to the Hollywood Sign, though, is an often contentious issue thanks to pressure from local homeowners. You can catch a dead-on glimpse of the sign on Beachwood Drive, or farther up the hill near Lake Hollywood Park . Looking to get even closer? Go horseback riding at Sunset Ranch or—of you’re alright with a view from behind—lace up for a trek along the otherwise off limits road on Mt. Lee Drive to where you will be standing directly above the Hollywood Sign and can experience a total 360-degree view of the cityscape.

Book a horseback ride tour near the Hollywood Sign.

Hollywood Roosevelt

Hollywood Roosevelt

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This 1927 landmark, a beautiful example of Spanish colonial design, once welcomed the A-listers who frequented it during Hollywood’s heyday. It’s worth walking into the Hollywood Roosevelt just to explore its dramatic downstairs lobby—or to bowl a few frames inside swanky bar the Spare Room .

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame

If you can stomach the suspect superheroes, claustrophobia-inducing crowds and never-ending line of gift shops, tattoo parlors and lingerie stores, there’s actually a fair amount of old Hollywood history and glamour to discover along the Walk of Fame. The immortalized names on those famous five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars run from the Walk’s western extreme at the Hollywood and La Brea Gateway to the W Hotel and Pantages Theater at Gower, and additionally on Vine from the Capitol Records Building down to Sunset, near where the original movie studios sprang up a century ago. For a Hollywood Boulevard Walking Tour, click here .   

Runyon Canyon

Runyon Canyon

  • Parks and gardens

This 160-acre park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains has one main loop, plus a bevy of dirt hiking trails. The sea of buff trainers and their sleek, sweaty clients can get to be too much during the busy morning and weekend workout traffic, but you’ll be rewarded with some of the best views of the city (and, if you’re lucky, a chance to gawk at power-walking celebs). The southern entrance is at the end of Fuller Avenue in Hollywood; the northern entrance is off the 7300 block of Mulholland Drive.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Any cemetery that houses the remains of such celluloid luminaries as Cecil B. DeMille, Jayne Mansfield, Rudolph Valentino and Mel Blanc was bound to become a tourist attraction. Aside from popular posthumous celebs, Hollywood Forever is also home to Cinespia’s summer outdoor movie screenings, an annual Day of the Dead festival and concerts, both outside on the lawn and inside the property’s Masonic lodge.

Visit famous Hollywood sites on a bike tour.

Ovation Hollywood

Ovation Hollywood

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Known as Hollywood & Highland when it first opened, this shopping center helped usher in a commercial renaissance along Hollywood Boulevard—well, for a while, at least. Like many American shopping malls, it eventually became a shell of its former self, but a recent makeover  that’s renamed the complex Ovation seeks to add a bit of sparkle back to the block. The parking entrances are on Highland Avenue and Orange Drive.

Dolby Theatre

Dolby Theatre

First known as the Kodak until its sponsorship swapped to Dolby in 2012, this 3,400-seat theater routinely hosts Broadway plays, high-profile screenings and the occasional concert. But the main attraction here, of course, is the Academy Awards: The annual star-studded broadcast will continue to be hosted here for the forseeable future, and all of the past Best Picture winners line the columns near the entrance.

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13 of the best film locations you can visit in Los Angeles

Los Angeles Hollywood Sign

Los Angeles is the perfect place to visit the locations of your favourite films and shows.

BY Katie Carlin

Last updated . 18 February 2020

Immerse yourself in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood by visiting the bars, hotels, restaurants and precincts featured in 2019’s most talked about films and television shows.

Los Angeles is the undisputed entertainment capital of the world. It has served as the backdrop to countless award-winning films and television shows since Hollywood first became the central hub of the emerging U.S film industry in the early 1900s. This makes L.A. the perfect destination for film and television buffs looking to experience the locations featured in the most talked about films and shows of 2019.

Virgil Los Angeles

The Virgil features in A Star Is Born, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

A Star Is Born

Could there be a more perfect location for a film about a love story between a rock star and aspiring singer than the city where dreams are made? Locals and visitors to Los Angeles can find the locations of some of their favourite scenes in the movie.

Virgil Los Angeles

The Virgil is the set for first time Jackson watches Alley sing.

The Virgil – The popular East Hollywood bar is the location where Jackson first watches Ally perform La Vie en Rose at the drag show.

Address: 4519 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles

Virgil Los Angeles

Ally perform La Vie en Rose at the drag show at Los Angeles’ Virgil bar.

Greek Theatre – Jack attempts to convince Ally to come with her to his next concert at none other than the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park. Ally decides to take a risk, quits her job and flies to the Greek where Jack convinces her to sing Shallow on stage.

Address: 2700 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles

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A cosier side to The Virgil that we didn’t see as much of in the film.

Chateau Marmont – Ally and Jackson share a moment in their hotel room, filmed at the Chateau Marmont, just before the launch of her album while looking out at her billboard on Sunset Boulevard.

Address: 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles

Chateau Marmont A Star Is Born

The Chateau Marmont is the setting for the scent in A Star Is Born when Ally and Jackson look out over her billboard just before her album launch.

The award-winning television show may be set in Pittsburgh and the New York tri-state area but it is filmed in the City of Angels. You can find the locations of the show’s most heartwarming and tear-jerking scenes throughout Los Angeles.

Nickel Diner This Is Us

Nickel Diner in Downtown Los Angeles serves up some mouthwatering sweets.

Godmother’s Saloon  – ‘Froggy’s’ may be the name of Rebecca and Jack’s local Pittsburgh hangout in the show, but Godmother’s Saloon, located in San Pedro, is the actual filming location.

Address: 302 West 7th, San Pedro

Nickel Diner This Is Us

Nickel Diner also happens to be the very diner that Kevin and Sophie share their first kiss in This Is Us.

Nickel Diner –Downtown Los Angeles’s Nickel Diner is the place where Sophie and Kevin had their first kiss and where Kevin attempts to win Sophie back in season one of the show. Customers will be transported back to the 1940s in this vintage-style restaurant.

Address: 524S Main Street, Los Angeles 

Nickel Diner This Is Us

Nickel Diner is also the same diner Kevin tries to win Sophie back in season one of This Is Us.

Hotel Café –It is the location of Rebecca’s Valentine’s Day show in season one and the venue is a Los Angeles musical landmark in Hollywood. Some of the Hotel Café’s most notable performers include Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and John Mayer.

Address: 1623 ½ North Cahuenga Boulevard, Los Angeles 

Hotel Café Los Angeles

The Hotel Café is the location of Rebecca’s Valentine’s Day show.

Openaire Los Angeles Restaurant

Openaire is located on the LINE Hotel’s rooftop in Koreatown.

The HBO hit series has received countless accolades for depicting a more positive side to life in South Los Angeles than what viewers generally see in mainstream television shows or films. The majority of scenes are filmed in the South L.A. neighbourhood but there are a few hangouts for Issa and friends sprinkled throughout the city.

Openaire Los Angeles Restaurant

The restaurant was the location of Molly and Issa’s brunch in season two of Insecure.

Mavericks Flat –The location of where Issa runs into Daniel in the very first episode of Insecure . Artists such as the Temptations and Marvin Gaye performed at this Leimert Park landmark, and it was once known as the ‘Apollo of the West’ during the ’60s and ’70s when it was one of the foremost jazz, soul and R&B venues in the city.

Address: 4225 Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles 

Openaire Los Angeles Restaurant

Openaire is Josiah Citrin’s new restaurant (formerly known as The Commissary).

Merkato Ethiopian Restaurant – The city’s oldest Ethiopian restaurant plays host to Issa’s birthday party in another episode, starring in a scene between Molly and Issa. Located in Los Angeles’s Little Ethiopia district, this intimate establishment is the perfect place to enjoy a delicious meal.

Address: 1036 ½ Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles

Openaire – Josiah Citrin’s new restaurant (formerly known as The Commissary) is located on the LINE Hotel’s rooftop in Koreatown. The restaurant’s distinctive greenhouse decor makes it instantly recognisable as the location of Molly and Issa’s brunch in season two.

Address: 3515 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles

Netflix’s original comedy pays homage to the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling variety show of the 1980s that was originally set in Las Vegas. Netflix decided to move the show’s location to Los Angeles and as a result it gives us a look into the city’s colourful history.

The Pink Motel – To prepare for the show the ladies of GLOW  are sent to live at the Dusty Spur, which is actually the Pink Motel in Sun Valley. The retro hotel has also appeared on shows such as Dexter and Drive , and while it is closed for business you can still get an outside look at the location before popping in next door to Cadillac Jack’s Cafe, another popular filming location for GLOW .

Address: 9457 San Fernando Road, Sun Valley

Club Mayan Los Angeles

Ruth and Sam stopped in at the Mayan in Downtown L.A. in GLOW, but you’ll also recognise it from scenes in The Bodyguard and A Night at the Roxbury.

The Mayan – When scouting for locations to shoot GLOW , Ruth and Sam stopped in at the Mayan in Downtown L.A. The historic theatre is intricately designed with Aztec features and has also appeared in The Bodyguard and A Night at the Roxbury . It now operates as a nightclub.

Address: 1038 South Hill Street, Los Angeles

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The Hollywood Palladium’s interior is used as the fictional Hayworth Hotel in GLOW.

Hollywood Palladium – The women of GLOW decide to film the first episode at the fictional Hayworth Hotel, which uses the interior of the Hollywood Palladium. The exterior of the Palladium was also used in a different episode of the show as a movie theatre screening Back to the Future .

Address: 6215 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood

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The exterior of the Palladium was also used in a different episode of the show as a movie theatre screening Back to the Future.

Sandra Bullock stars in the chilling Netflix movie Bird Box . The 2019 film has taken over Australia’s screens (and memes!) and travellers will be pleased to learn they can visit the Monrovia home from the film, which is located in Los Angeles County.

Monrovia House – Monrovia is located 32 kilometres north of Los Angeles, and this seven-bedroom property is the home of Sandra Bullock and her children in Bird Box . The suburb is also the location of numerous other iconic films, including Legally Blonde , American Pie and Never Been Kissed .

Address: 304 North Canyon Boulevard, Monrovia

Travelling to Los Angeles? Here is how you can spend a perfect 48 hours solo in the City of Angels.

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Los Angeles

The Ultimate Movie Buff’s Guide to Visiting Los Angeles

Los Angeles is such a well-known city that some folks think it’s the capital of California. Hey, we can’t blame them – Los Angeles has been featured in more films and TV shows than we can count . Big budget blockbusters, low budget indie films, sitcoms, TV dramas – you name it, LA’s been featured.

We would be here for years trying to list every famous film location in LA. Really, we would: there are parks, restaurants, apartments and hotels that have all appeared on the silver screen. Or, we could just present our movie buff’s guide to Los Angeles . Use a luggage storage service before heading out. “The city of Lost Angels” is also a city with very little elbow room.

Bradbury Building

LA is a city that goes above and beyond to preserve relics of the past. That is exactly what the Bradbury Building is – a cherished relic of 1893 . This building is known as the oldest commercial structure in central LA. A few architectural styles influenced its design – namely, Italian Renaissance and Romanesque designs.

So, why is a building from 1893 on this list? Because it was prominently featured in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) . Scott and his team filmed the climax of the film in this building, making it look rundown and dilapidated to fit Blade Runner’s dystopian themes.

We’re hopping from a beloved sci-fi franchise to a die-hard action series with Fox Plaza . While the Bradbury Building is a locale in Blade Runner , this building served as the primary location where John McTiernan’s Die Hard (1988) took place .

Fox Plaza was transformed into the Nakatomi Plaza – a high-security building taken over by terrorists. It’s been decades since Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman traded blows at this building, but Fox Plaza is just as popular. What can we say? Old memories die hard.

Griffith Observatory

Most Angelinos first visited Griffith Observatory when they were very young, either via field trips or family getaways. Anyone who lives in or around the greater Hollywood area of LA probably has a clear view of the observatory most days of the week.

We can’t think of a better place to go stargazing in the city of Lost Angels, but that’s not why it’s in this article. Griffith Observatory was featured in La La Land (2016) and Rebel Without A Cause (1955) .

Movie Buffs Guide to Los Angeles

Hollywood Sign

A movie buff’s guide to Los Angeles wouldn’t be complete with mentioning this iconic California landmark . The Hollywood Sign has been featured in more pieces of media than we could possibly hope to count.

Books, TV shows, short films, movies (naturally), a few board games and even several cereal boxes have paid tribute to this landmark in one way or another. Visitors are encouraged to hike up to the sign and admire it up close. Should you make that hike, you will see Los Angeles from the Hollywood Sign’s perspective.

LA Times Building

Way back in 1881, Nathan Cole Jr. and Thomas Gardiner founded a newspaper publication called the Los Angeles Daily Times. They reported on every major event that took place in the late 1800s and continued this tradition well into the 1900s. Publishers came and went, the world changed, but the LA Times remained.

The Los Angeles Times Building , also known as the Kaufmann Building, served as the Times’ headquarters for many years. This building has been featured in numerous films and TV shows, such as Argo (2012) and Scandal (2012 – 2018) .

Sandy beaches and palm trees are hallmarks of Southern California. These two features are pervasive in almost every city you will come across, including LA. So, what makes Point Dume so special? Well, it’s the location where parts of Franklin J. Schaffner’s Planet of the Apes (1968) and the Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski (1998) were filmed .

Specifically, this is the venue where Charlton Heston found the remains of the Statue of Liberty. As for the Big Lebowski, this is where the Dude and Walter have trouble with Donny’s ashes.

Most of the landmarks in this article can be appreciated from a distance. Not The Prince . You have to visit this venue yourself to fully appreciate it. Parts of Mad Men (2007 – 2015) and Chinatown (1974) were filmed here .

The Prince isn’t just for show either – it’s a full-service restaurant that offers amazing food and drinks. If you have ever wanted to walk (or dine) in Don Draper’s shoes or brood like Jake Gittes, then you have to visit the Prince.

Santa Monica Pier

Many first dates and graduation parties have been held at the Santa Monica Pier . Even miles away, you can see the pier’s famous Ferris wheel making its rounds. It’s actually a little tricky reaching the pier, as it’s tucked away from the nearest main street. You will have to find parking (a mission in and of itself in LA), then make your way to the pier on foot.

The trip is well worth it, however. Santa Monica Pier is a bonafide California landmark. Scenes from Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1994), Cellular (2004), and Iron Man (2008) were filmed here . We have a strong hunch that the casts and crews of those projects hopped on the Ferris wheel a few times.

Santa Monica Pier

The Westin Bonaventure Hotel

Projects from every genre of film and television have been filmed at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. Everything from J.J. Abrams’ Mission Impossible III (2006) to episodes of Fear Factor and CSI .

The Westin has even been featured in music videos, video games and anime franchises! Special mention goes to Christopher Nolan for filming at the Westin during the production of Interstellar (2014) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) .

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Author:  Matt Lloyd

Matt Lloyd is a writer and editor for magnificentworld.com. His topics cover everything from travel and tourism, to economics and politics, to culture and world events.

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10 Picturesque Movie Sets You Can Visit In Los Angeles

Sightseeing in LA!

Traveling in Los Angeles can often feel like déjà vu: “Have I been here before?” “Why do I feel like I’ve seen this place somewhere?” “Why is this whole setting so familiar?” It is probably because you have actually seen it before: in your favorite movies. While most Hollywood films are shot at Motion Pictures Studios, many of the scenes are also filmed at prime locations in LA.

Related: 66 of the Best Movies on Netflix Right Now

Though Motion Pictures Studio might not have its doors open for tourists, these spots are open for you to pop in and get a few pictures. From romance in La La Land to action in Planet of The Apes , L.A. is filled with spots to remind you of your favorite movies.

The Bench – 500 Days of Summer

The Bench in Los Angeles

500 Days Of Summer is an iconic indie film and has been a fans’ favorite ever since its release in 2009. One of the prettiest scenes in the movie is when Tom ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ) and Summer ( Zooey Deschanel ) talk on a bench that overlooks the city. Lucky for you, this bench is accessible to tourists and is in the heart of downtown LA at Angels Knoll, right next to Angels Flight and Grand Central Market.

A few blocks away from the legendary Bradbury Building, the bench is closed during the night. If you visit during the day, you can walk in and take a picture.

Randy’s Donuts – Mars Attacks, Iron Man, and More

Randy’s Donuts in Los Angeles

With the massive donut sign, some have hypothesized that Randy’s Donuts is visible from space. Established in 1953, Randy's Donuts (805 W. Manchester Blvd, Inglewood) has been a constant appearance in many of your favorite films, Mars Attacks , Iron Man 2 , Get Shorty , and Earth Girls Are Easy . Located just off the 405 Freeway, the shop is a sight luring you in.

That being said, Randy’s Donuts is one of the most popular landmarks in LA. People from all over the world travel to Inglewood to click photos with the donut sign.

Union Station - 24, Catch Me If You Can, Nancy Drew, and More

Union Station in Los Angeles

Opened in 1939, Union Station LA is an architectural masterpiece. It is the main railway station in Los Angeles and is near Chinatown and the Civic Center. Serving as the backdrop for numerous epic films like Blade Runner , Catch Me if You Can , and The Dark Knight Rises , the train station looks amazing on film.

Related: 10 Great Movies Told From Multiple Perspectives

One of Los Angeles’s most famous places, Union Station is more than just a train station. The landmark has also adopted conducting events and fairs, making it a true cultural hub.

Point Dume – Planet of the Apes

Point Dume in Los Angeles

Point Dume might be one of the prettiest beaches in Los Angeles. With its proximity to the film and television industry, Point Dume’s westward beach has been a spot of frequent visitation for shooting films, television, advertisements, and videos, appearing whenever a beach scene is required.

While fans of the iconic film Planet of the Apes might recognize the bluffs from the movie’s climax , it is to be noted that Point Dume has also been featured in Iron Man and The Big Lebowski .

Griffith Observatory – Rebel Without a Cause, La La Land, and More

Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles

One of the most iconic and beautiful places in Los Angeles County, the Griffith Observatory sits atop the Griffith Park and looks over the entire city. The views from the observatory are spectacular and breathtaking. The observatory is a great escape from the bustle of the city and has the most glorious view of the iconic Hollywood sign.

It is hard to name more than a few movies which haven’t featured the observatory, but movie buffs will recognize it from Rebel Without A Cause , La La Land , and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle .

Old LA Zoo – Anchorman

Old LA Zoo in Los Angeles

The Griffith Park area is full of stunning tourist spots, and one of the best of these is the Griffith Park Zoo, more often called the Old Los Angeles Zoo. The Old LA Zoo is simply the remains of the original Los Angeles Zoo which was left as it is when the zoo changed locations. A few park benches were added to the place after it was adopted into Griffith Park, which welcomes thousands of visitors each day.

Related: Stanley Kubrick's Favorite Films, Ranked

The zoo was also featured in Anchorman . While the film was shot all over LA, the part at the end with the cages and Ron Burgandy jumping in was filmed at the Old LA Zoo.

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel – Wall Street, Men in Black 3, and More

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles

Built in 1926, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was once home to Marilyn Monroe , who lived at the hotel for two years early in her career and posed for her first commercial photography shoot by the pool. Opened on May 15, 1927, the hotel boasts elegant architecture and is minutes away from Times Square and Grand Central Terminal.

The Roosevelt had appeared in a long list of Hollywood films, including (but not limited to) The Irishman , Quiz Show , Men in Black 3 , 1408 , Wall Street , The French Connection , Malcolm X , The Dictator , Man on a Ledge and Maid in Manhattan .

Pink's Hot Dogs – Hell's Kitchen, House of Lies, and More

Pink's Hot Dogs in Los Angeles

Found in 1939 as a rolling cart bought for $50, Pink’s Hot Dogs is Los Angeles’s favorite hot dog joint. Officially a city-recognized "Treasure of LA", Pink’s Hot Dogs serves two dozen foot-longs and goes through 1500-2000 hot dogs a day.

Pink’s Hot Dogs has been featured in countless movies like Hell's Kitchen , Mulholland Drive , Jackass , The Today Show , House of Lies , Huell Howser , and Leno . Pink’s was also the spot where Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore .

Santa Monica Pier – Forrest Gump, The Kissing Booth 2, and More

Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles

If you’ve ever received a postcard of Los Angeles, you’ll recognize Santa Monica Pier for its iconic Ferris wheel and spiraling rollercoaster. Just 20 miles east along the coast is a jam-packed carnival for tourists, amusement park rides, and the best fast food there is.

After its construction in 1901, Santa Monica Pier quickly gained a reputation among locals as the best fishing spot, and fishing is practiced in the area to date. The Pier has been featured in numerous films including T he Kissing Booth 2 , The Sting , and Forrest Gump .

Bradbury Building – Blade Runner, The Artist, and More

Bradbury Building in Los Angeles

A dazzling architectural gem, the Bradbury Building is a remarkable sight due to the atrium which fills the building with light. The building was built with ornate brick, wood, and iron in 1893. With five open floors showcasing the geometric staircases, the Bradbury Building is the perfect backdrop for any number of classic Hollywood films.

The building has seen more roles than most A-list actors, featuring in many incredible films including Blade Runner , Double Indemnity , D.O.A ., The Artist , and 500 Days Of Summer .

Keep Reading: The Best Indie Movies on Netflix Right Now

Take a "La La Land" Tour of Los Angeles

If the movie "La La Land" got you excited to explore Los Angeles and see all the places featured, this photo tour will show you exactly where to find all the real landmarks and shooting locations.

The movie is a love letter to Los Angeles and the dream of making it big in the city. It shows off some of the city's major landmarks and some often neglected gems. You can visit most of the places yourself, including shooting locations that stood in for fictional settings. 

The LA Traffic Jam in La La Land

The movie opens with a song and dance number in a traffic jam on a freeway ramp. The scene was filmed on the eastbound 105 freeway transition to the 110 freeway. You can't stop there to take a photo, but if you take the Metro Green Line to the Harbor Freeway Metro Station or park near 11500 S. Figueroa and walk or take the elevator up to the platform, you can get a similar view over the freeway.

Mia's Job at the Warner Bros. Cafe

The Warner Bros. Cafe where Mia works does not really exist. It's a set created on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot. They recreated it briefly to be part of the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour Hollywood , and if you go on the tour after it's gone, they'll point out where it was, but it won't look like the set anymore. You could conceivably run into an occasional celebrity at the Warner Bros. Cafeteria, which is in the same building as the Visitor Center where tours begin.

Later in the film, Mia takes Sebastian on a tour of the backlot and soundstages, which you can also visit on a studio tour.

Mia's Pink Apartment Building in La La Land

Kayte Deioma

The exterior shots of Mia's pink apartment building were shot at El Cordova apartments, a condominium building on 3rd Street in Long Beach  (1728 3rd Street). They filmed a much longer sequence of the girls dancing down the stairs from apartment 16 and through the courtyard to the street, which you can see in a video about Long Beach filming locations , but only a quick clip of them dancing out into the street was kept in the film. 

The colorful interior apartment shots were filmed elsewhere. If they had lived in apartment 16, it would have been very cramped since that's a one-bedroom apartment.

If you stop by for a selfie, be sure to head around to Bird Lane, the alley in back, where Sebastian picked up Mia in his red convertible and turned the wrong way onto one-way Gaviota Street. But be sure to turn the right way!

They never specify what neighborhood Mia lives in. Would a budding actress be living in Long Beach? There certainly are some who do because of the more budget-friendly rents, but most prefer to live north of the 10 Freeway for easier access to auditions, which tend to be in the Valley.

The Neon Montage from La La Land

There are several montages in the movie that pack a lot of landmarks and sights into just a few seconds. The first one is as the girls are driving along the 101 freeway through Hollywood we see a montage of iconic neon signs— Paty's Toluca Lake , Musso & Frank Grill , and the Roxy, which are all real places that you can check out for yourself. However, while Formosa, which was also featured in the film, closed in early 2017, it's expected to reopen in late 2019. There are a couple of other neon signs like the Wilshire Royale and the Knickerbocker that are private apartment buildings.

Walking Home from the Party

The location of the modern Hollywood Hills mansion where Mia and her roommates attend a flashy party is a mystery, but her route home is clearer.

After Mia's car is towed, she walks home from the party down the curve of Vine Street overlooking the 101 Freeway. We see her walk by the Castle Argyle apartment building, then she turns right on Argyle, where she passes a mural on the wall of Hollywood Bowl Self Storage under the freeway underpass. The mural was originally painted in 1986 by Dan Collins. The panel of the mural that we see her walk by depicts actress Louise Brooks and Fatty Arbuckle. Cut off on the top of the mural are Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz and their kids in a car. Other famous figures in the mural include John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean.

Mural of Stars Restaurant Exterior

Mia walks by the "You are the Star" mural , which, in the movie is on the outside of the restaurant where Sebastian is playing the piano. In reality, the mural is a little over half a mile west of Argyle, where she was walking, at 1665 Wilcox Avenue, just south of Hollywood Boulevard . The mural was painted by Tom Suriya, designed to place you on the stage or screen with an audience of movie stars watching you. The building itself has a cool Art Deco facade.

Seb's Christmas Carol Debacle

Smoke House

When Mia steps inside the restaurant, she's actually in Burbank. The Smoke House restaurant (4420 West Lakeside Drive) next to Warner Bros. Studios was used to film the scene where Sebastian is fired for playing jazz instead of Christmas carols, and where he rudely pushes past Mia, who was drawn inside by his playing. 

There's not usually a piano in the middle of the room at the Smoke House, but there is live entertainment on a little stage area off to the side, which for the movie, was a dark corner with a Christmas tree in it.

The Retro Dairy Mart

Retro Dairy Mart

We don't know where Sebastian's apartment is, but he says he goes five miles out of his way to get his coffee at the Retro Dairy Mart so he can look across the street at the former Van Beek jazz club, which has been turned into Van Beek Tapas & Tunes, a samba, and tapas club.

The Retro Dairy Mart is a real place you can visit in Burbank. It opened in 2015 on the site of a former Alta Dena Drive-In Dairy shop at 4420 West Magnolia Boulevard.

Van Beek Tapas & Tunes

Screenshot of Google Street View

Van Beek is fictional, but the location used to represent the club is, in fact, across the street from the Retro Dairy Mart at 4403 West Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank. They show Sebastian drive by it as he pulls into the Retro Dairy Mart, and then you see him sitting and looking across at it.

The Van Beek location is a couple of buildings down, and Retro Dairy Mart is back from the street, so they had to do a bit of cinematic cheating (movie jargon) for him to be able to see it from a table at the Dairy Mart.

The Scenic Overlook in La La Land

The scenic overlook where Sebastian and Mia sing and dance is supposed to be just down the road from the party they just left, but in reality it's a relatively remote curve in Mt. Hollywood Drive called Cathy's Corner  that overlooks the Valley. You'd have to walk an awful long way to find a house party from here. The wooden posts were already there, but set decorators added the bench and lamppost. 

Discovering Jazz at the Lighthouse Cafe

If it's jazz, it must be Wednesday happy hour at The Lighthouse Cafe  (30 Pier Avenue), a live music venue in Hermosa Beach. Wednesday Jazz Happy hour is from 6 to 9 p.m., which fits right in with Mia's after-work excursion with Sebastian so he can introduce her to the wonders of jazz.

The Lighthouse Cafe used to have a huge neon sign out front advertising Jazz Concerts, but the sign is long gone, and these days, you can hear all kinds of music there. Wednesday Happy Hour and Saturday and Sunday Brunch are still reserved for jazz. Even though they're no longer exclusively a jazz club, they're on several lists of the best places to listen to jazz in LA.

A Stroll on the Hermosa Beach Pier

Keith Yahl / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Which pier is that where Sebastian takes a stroll after leaving the Lighthouse? A lot of Angelenos weren't quite sure. The reason being that "La La Land" set decorators decided to add lamp posts in addition to the low lights that normally illuminate the Hermosa Beach Pier , so it didn't look quite like itself. 

The Hermosa Beach Pier is just a few steps from the Lighthouse Cafe at the end of Pier Avenue.

Date at the Rialto Theatre

Dean Terry / Flickr / CC By-NC-ND 2.0

The Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena is open and playing the classic movie, Rebel Without a Cause, when it first shows up in the movie. Later, it's closed when Mia drives by. The 1925 theatre is, in fact, now a church.

While you can still rent it out for things like filming a blockbuster movie or for hosting a wedding service, you'll have to attend the church itself or go during normal office hours (generally from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays) to see the inside of this historic building yourself.

Dinner With Greg at Jar Restaurant

The restaurant where Mia has dinner with Greg and friends is Jar  in the Beverly Grove neighborhood of Los Angeles south of West Hollywood . It's not specifically identified as Jar in the movie, so you can imagine it being a restaurant that's in closer proximity to the Rialto, because in real life, it would take her 40 minutes to an hour to drive between the two at dinner time.

Mia and Sebastion Explore the Griffith Observatory

After watching Rebel Without a Cause , Sebastian and Mia follow James Dean's example and drive up onto the walkway at the Griffith Observatory and then spend a romantic time exploring the deserted campus and museum.

You won't be so fortunate to find the place empty during open hours, but you'll get the same stunning views.

The filmmakers chose to recreate the original Observatory Planetarium in the studio, rather than using the more modern version that is there now, so when you check out the show at the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, it won't look quite the same. The original Zeiss Mark IV planetarium projector, which was up in the planetarium from 1964 to 2006—and looks like the one in the movie—can be seen in the Observatory Museum. 

Later in the movie, we see Sebastian and Mia on a bench that reveals a view looking up at the Observatory. That bench is fictional, so don't bother looking for it.

Strolling Down Fern Dell Trail at Griffith Park

Rachael Moore / Flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0

The dating montage in La La Land includes many beloved attractions. It starts with a stroll along the Fern Dell Trail in Griffith Park  (5375 Red Oak Drive). This shady trail, which is part of the The Ferndell Nature Museum , includes over 50 fern species from suspended baskets of ferns to giant tropical ferns. It is just off of the west end of Los Feliz Boulevard. There are flowering plants in this part of the park, but flowers along the trail in the movie were added by the set decorators.

A Twilight Walk Across Colorado Street Bridge

Karol Franks / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena is another setting for a twilight stroll. Built in 1912 as part of the original Route 66, the bridge became known as the "suicide bridge" during the depression due to the number of people who leaped to their death. This unfortunate practice continued periodically until they put up a suicide barrier in 1993. The bridge is purported to be haunted, but that doesn't make it any less popular for a romantic stroll. 

A Stop at Grand Central Market

Christian Hundley / TripSavvy

Sebastian and Mia grab a bite at Saritas Pupuseria at Grand Central Market . This Downtown Los Angeles public market has been open continuously since 1917 but has undergone a major hipster transformation in the last decade. 

Exploring Watts Towers

Sebastian and Mia explore the Watts Towers in South Central Los Angeles, and it looks like they're on their own. However, guests can no longer enter the structures—even on guided tours—until some time in 2022 as Watts Towers complete renovation projects for structural integrity.

Still, you can take a peak at them through the outside gate, which is located at 1765 East 107th Street in Los Angeles. Also, there's a quick flash of Paul Botello's mural "Muro que Habla, Canta y Grita" (The Wall That Speak, Sings, and Shouts) at Ruben F. Salazar Park at Whittier Boulevard and Alma Avenue in East L.A. 

Taking a Ride on Angels Flight

Sebastian and Mia take a ride on Angels Flight in Downtown LA . The funicular railway runs one block from Hill Street up to California Plaza, and despite being out of commission for several years, the City returned the Angels Flight to full service on Labor Day in 2017. Board the train at 351 South Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles and climb to the top of the hill with ease.

The Messengers Concert at El Rey Theatre

Clay Lancaster / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Messengers' big concert scene with John Legend was filmed inside the Art Deco  El Rey Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard on the Miracle Mile  in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of LA. The El Rey is one of the numerous rental venues for live music in LA. It is reputed to be haunted.

Mia's Theatre at Club Fais Do-Do

When Mia decides to put on a one-woman show, the theatre she rents is part of New Orleans-themed Club Fais Do-Do in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, south of the 10 Freeway, west of La Brea Avenue. They're known for their Boogie Down Sunday Brunch and live music on weekend nights. Club Fais Do-Do is located at 5253-5257 West Adams Boulevard.

Arriving in Style at Chateau Marmont

Francisco Antunes / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Five years later Mia turns into the Chateau Marmont where her husband and daughter await. Staying at this storied Sunset Strip landmark is a definite sign that Mia has "arrived".

The interior shots for the Chateau Marmont were filmed at Orcutt Ranch in West Hills. 

Black Plays Seb's in La La Land

 A bar called Black  at 6202 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood was used to shoot the exterior of Seb's jazz club in "La La Land." We see a movie billboard featuring Mia on the side of the building as Sebastian walks around the corner into the bar, and Mia and her husband walk in from the other direction.

The Blind Donkey Plays Seb's Interior

The Blind Donkey

The interior of Seb's jazz club was filmed at the Blind Donkey  (149 Linden Avenue), a basement bar in the East Village Arts District in Long Beach, which is about 30 miles south of the exterior shots in Hollywood.

The archway at the bottom of the stairs is where they put the Seb's sign that Mia designed. They built out the stage to accommodate the grand piano, which they had to maneuver down the narrow staircase. If you're planning on visiting all these sites, you'll probably want to see this one when you visit Mia's apartment location, which is about a mile from here.

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Real experiences of the real Los Angeles

What you need to know, tripadvisor.

Did a full day walking tour of LA. Our tour guide Damien was very knowledgeable & passionate about giving us all the information in a clear & concise way. The tour was very well planned & organised & was not tiring.

Lisa Montesanti

We did The Real Hollywood tour & loved it! The tour was at a great pace & the guide (Vicky) was very knowledgeable & made the tour fun. Thank you!

Stuart was so knowledgeable & was worth the day with him. I had been to LA multiple times before but this is the first time I had taken a tour – so thrilled to have this experience with my mom & sister. I would recommend this tour again & again.

Lucrezia Scamarcio

We had an amazing DTLA Murder Mystery Ghost tour with Damien & Dante… thank you very much from the Italian girls… very interesting & funny… absolutely recommended!

Passport17369220499

This tour was awesome! Stuart is very knowledgeable, likeable & fun. The stops on the tour were very interesting & I learned a lot. I’ve been on quite a few tours of this nature & this was one of my favorites – highly recommend!

Did a walking tour of LA (LA in a Day). Vicky started us off with the Hollywood tour & Damien (who is also the owner) was our guide for the rest of the day. The entire day was awesome, I suggest this tour. There isn’t that much walking, to be honest. It’s very fun!

Michelle B.

My boyfriend & I took the DTLA Murder Mystery Ghost tour with Stuart as our guide & had the most amazing time! We had experiences we will never forget! We were able to see parts & people of Los Angeles that we never would have without Stuart. I give this 10/10. If we visit again, this will be at the top of our to do list!

Sara Pozueta

Absolutely amazing! Highly recommend taking both The Real Hollywood Tour & the Central Downtown LA tour! Our time in LA wouldn’t have been the same. Great way to learn about the city, see it from a different angle, explore the local life & learn about its history & filming industry. Damien our guide was fantastic!

Sylvie was our host & was fantastic. She had a lot of local knowledge & gave her unique perspective as someone who had moved to the area many years ago, so she had an outsider’s as well as an insider’s perspective. The tour gave us a great overview of Santa Monica & Venice & set us up for a great rest of the day.

Paula Lindgren

We took 2 tours, the Santa Monica & Venice Bike tour (with Sylvie) & the Real Hollywood tour (with Damien). Both were great & highly recommended. Sylvie & Damien were informative, knowledgeable & easy to talk to. They were like you were with friends. We were traveling as a family of 4 with 2 boys (15 & 12). We all enjoyed the tours.

12 Movies Set in Downtown LA

Movies filmed in downtown LA

Thousands of movies have been filmed in Los Angeles – it's been the world capital of the entertainment industry for over a hundred years, after all. However, that’s way too many to consider and, frankly, some of them weren’t very good, so we’ve brought you a list of twelve great movies set in downtown LA.

If you’re visiting consider watching these films either before or after your visit, they’re all classics and you can probably catch them on a streaming service or Youtube. It’s fun to spot locations that you’ve been to when they pop up in movies and some of these films, such as Chinatown  and  L.A. Confidential , are based on real events and actual Los Angeles history.

Films Made in Downtown Los Angeles

The kid (1921).

The Charlie Chaplin classic was filmed around old Chinatown (where Union Station is now) and on Olvera Street (for the final chase scene). Chaplin needed a slum area as a location and at the time this neighborhood looked perfect (much of it was to be shortly demolished). He also used downtown LA as a location in his 1931 classic  City Lights , when Chaplin drives through Pershing Square mid way through the movie. The premiere for  City Lights  was at the magnificent Los Angeles Theatre, in downtown’s Historic Theatre District .

We visit the area on our  LA: Food + History + Design Tour .

If you're interested in Charlie Chaplin's Los Angeles, read this article , which lists eight key locations in the city that are particularly associated with him.

SAFETY LAST! (1923)

Another comedy classic, in this case starring Harold Lloyd, in which our hero has to climb the outside of an office building to get his girlfriend back. In those early movie-making days stuntmen didn’t exist and neither did special effects, so that’s actually Lloyd himself climbing the fifteen story building (although a professional acrobat did some of the more dangerous sequences).

Safety Last! used numerous locations throughout downtown and you can see what it was like back in the 1920’s. Harold Lloyd himself used to live in the Bradbury Mansion on what was then Court Hill (since demolished), in front of City Hall, just a few blocks away.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)

So many movies set in downtown LA seem to be noir movies (probably because the directors’ loved the neighborhood as a location), and  Double Indemnity  is a fine example of the genre. It is in fact, along with  Chinatown  (see below), widely regarded as one of the greatest film noirs ever made. Fred McMurray’s shady insurance salesman’s office is on Pershing Square and he visits Olvera Street for dinner (and it still looks almost the same today).

CRISS CROSS (1949)

Burt Lancaster (with an early blink and you’ll miss it appearance by Tony Curtis) is the lead in this noir movie , made just after the Second World War, in which a femme fatale (played by the seductive Ava Gardner) tempts Burt into doing something you know he shouldn’t. The movie uses a host of downtown LA locations, including many that no longer exist, such as on Bunker Hill (when it was a residential neighborhood) and Union Station.

CHINATOWN (1974)

Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston give career defining performances in a story drawn from the real life history of Los Angeles – the ‘Water Wars’. It’s often forgotten now, but this was when ‘the syndicate’, a group of rich and powerful local businessmen, took the water from the High Sierra and piped it down to Los Angeles – and made themselves even richer than they already were.

Apart from just being highly watchable, Chinatown is a great movie for the historical perspective it gives the viewer of 1920’s-era political corruption in Los Angeles.

BLADE RUNNER (1982)

Harrison Ford, Sean Young and Rutger Hauer star in this neo-noir tale of a detective hunting super-androids through a future, dystopian, Los Angeles. It used a host of downtown locations, including the Bradbury Building, Million Dollar Theater and Union Station and it’s one of the most influential sci-fi movies ever made. Blade Runner is set in 2019  – and we still don’t have flying cars – but it did prefigure scientific developments such as the increasing use of artificial intelligence.

PRETTY WOMAN (1990)

You thought  Pretty  Woman  was set exclusively in Hollywood and Beverly Hills? Wrong! Several downtown locations appear in this romantic comedy classic – the Cicada (where Richard Gere and Julia Roberts have dinner and she accidentally throws a snail at a waiter), the Bank of America Building (the location for the business meetings) and Grand Park (where Richard Gere and Julia Roberts read poetry). Not that you need it, but we’ve given you the perfect excuse to watch it again.

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997) – TOP PHOTO

A brutal love letter to 1950’s Los Angeles, this gripping film, starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kim Basinger filmed several pivotal scenes in downtown LA, including City Hall, the Pacific Electric Building and the location of the Nite Owl Diner. L.A. Confidential also shines a light on corruption at the L.A.P.D., which was rife in those days, opening with the real-life ‘Bloody Christmas’ scandal of 1951. Hush hush!

COLLATERAL (2004)

Starring Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise,  Collateral  is almost a companion piece to  Heat , director Michael Mann’s earlier movie that was also set in and around downtown Los Angeles. Few directors since the Second Word War have photographed downtown as stylishly as Mann, who clearly loves the urban landscape of glass and steel towers ringed by freeways. The memorable denouement, in which Cruise’s hitman chases Foxx’s taxi driver down into the subway, takes place at 7th St Metro Center.

THE SOLOIST (2009)

Another great film about downtown, again starring Jamie Foxx,  The Soloist , is one of the best movies ever made about one of the most serious issues that Los Angeles faces (and has since the 1930's) - homelessness. One could argue that we've always had a homelessness problem, even going back to the nineteenth century, but there's no question that it long ago reached crisis point.

The Soloist , features wonderfully sensitive performances by Foxx (who really should have won an Oscar for playing real-life homeless musician Nathaniel Ayers) and co-star Robert Downey Junior and it's a great movie for getting an understanding of modern homelessness in the US. The film is almost entirely set in downtown.

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500 DAYS OF SUMMER (2009) – PHOTO ABOVE

Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel appear in this kind-of romantic comedy set mostly in downtown. Los Angeles is never specified as the place where 500 Days of Summer takes place, but it’s almost a love letter to the city and uses locations such as the Bradbury Building (again), the Fine Arts Building (which we go to on our  Central Downtown LA tour ), the Civic Center and Bunker Hill.

LA LA LAND (2016)

For the final entry in our list of movies set in downtown LA how about this fun throwback to the type of musicals that Hollywood made all the time in the 1950’s? Lead characters Mia and Sebastian sing and dance across LA (on the freeway?!).

Want to know how influential  La La Land has proved? After four years of languishing in limbo, the city managed to get its downtown funicular Angels Flight  up and running in four months, because of the level of interest that was created by Mia and Sebastian dancing in it (before they had dinner at Grand Central Market, so LA).

FILM NOIR AND LOS ANGELES

If you enjoy the genre read Film Noir: a Dark Side of the City of Angels , which describes how this new style of movie (which includes several films on this list) was born in LA in the 1940's.

If you have any feedback on where to 12 Movies Set in Downtown LA, or if you have some recommendations of your own, please email us and let us know. We’ll be sure to take it into account.

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‘Spaceman’ Review: What Happened Here?

Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan star in a baffling Netflix misfire about a man in, well, space.

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Adam Sandler, with a dark beard and wearing a T-shirt, floats inside a spaceship.

By Alissa Wilkinson

When was the last time you looked at the exquisite list of synonyms for the word “baffled”? They may be among the best in the English language: puzzled, nonplused, discombobulated, flummoxed, stumped, fogged, wildered, buffaloed. They’re delicious, delightful, full of consonants, evocative of a very particular feeling: you’re presented with something that seems as though it should be clear, but you can’t make it make sense.

The occasion for my bout of word nerdery is the Adam Sandler movie “Spaceman,” and for that I thank the film. It is not a particularly confusing movie on its own, in part because we’ve seen its likes before: a spaceman, alone in the inky blackness, goes a little nuts, and also gains clarity on his life back on earth. What’s flummoxing about “Spaceman” isn’t what it is, but why it is.

Some bad movies were never going to be good ( “Argylle” ). Other bad movies never even tried ( “Madame Web” ). But “Spaceman” is that exquisite rare third thing — an awful movie, a very bad movie indeed, whose lousiness was almost certainly not apparent while it was in production.

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This stirring film from Noora Niasari follows an Iranian woman and her daughter living in a women’s shelter in Australia.

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As We Speak

Not rated | Documentary

Lyrics that contain references to violence have been used as legal evidence, a practice this documentary condemns as prejudicial.

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Code 8: Part II

Not rated | Sci-fi

In this Netflix sequel, the acting cousins Robbie and Stephen Amell again play gruff men of action — physical and psychic.

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Outlaw Posse

R | Western

Two decades after his previous Black western, Mario Van Peebles is back in the saddle again. This time, his son, Mandela, is with him.

Every sign points toward, if not a masterpiece, at least a pretty interesting genre experiment. The film has Sandler, whose acting chops are often underrated, in a dramatic role as the titular spaceman, whose name is Jakub. It has the great Carey Mulligan, who is currently up for a best actress Oscar, playing his estranged, pregnant wife Lenka. It is scored by the ubiquitous Max Richter. Its director, Johan Renck, also directed the outstanding mini-series “Chernobyl,” among the best television made in the past decade. And though it’s the screenwriter Colby Day’s first major feature, it’s based on Jaroslav Kalfar’s novel “Spaceman of Bohemia,” which won praise from science fiction critics.

I haven’t read Kalfar’s book, but a critic at The Guardian called it “‘Solaris’ with laughs,” which gives me a clue as to what may have gone awry. There’s some “Solaris” swimming around inside “Spaceman,” and also some “Gravity,” some “Interstellar,” some “First Man,” some “Ad Astra.” What there aren’t are laughs.

You might think I’m complaining because Sandler should equal laughs, but — look, here’s the thing. There’s no way to say more without spoiling the movie, so if that bothers you, look away. (Are you still looking? Go away.)

OK. So. Jakub, commander of this ship and its only passenger, spends most of the movie rattling around in his janky spacemobile, getting mad about the broken toilet and talking to a giant, mellifluous space spider voiced by Paul Dano. This cosmo-rachnid has two big, soulful eyes with a row of four little ones above them. It has many arms (I think I counted 10, which is biologically wrong, but I’m not going to tell outer space how to make a spider). It is full of philosophical ruminations on the meaning of existence. And it keeps addressing Sandler — sorry, Jakub — as “skinny human,” lingering on the opening sibilant. Sssssskinny human .

This stuff really should be allowed to be funny because it inarguably is. Imagine Adam Sandler, big earnest eyes, drawn and haggard face from nearly 200 days in space, sitting down to converse with a massive spider. That, my friends, is funny.

Yet almost the whole movie is Jakub dourly remembering his life on earth — notably his wife, Lenka (Mulligan), who is down there on the planet pregnant and miserable and planning to leave him — in aphoristic realizations, helped along by his possibly-imaginary friend. Jakub has been a lousy husband, and the space spider, whom he dubs Hanus, helps him understand why. In short, this is a movie about a guy realizing he’s been terrible and vowing to change, thanks to a spider-therapist.

Furthermore, Jakub is up there with the space spider because a giant purple cloud has been in the sky above the earth for four years. Jakub has been sent on a mission to find out why — on a ship named for Jan Hus, the famous Czech theologian, reformer and martyr — by the Euro Space Program, headed up by Commissioner Tuma (Isabella Rossellini, who seems to be enjoying a vibrant career in weird movie bit parts lately). Jakub is Czech, as is Lenka — both Sandler and Mulligan try for lightly eastern European accents, with middling results — and has a troubled past thanks to his father’s politics. It’s unclear what year it is, but for some reason, the only other space program that’s rushing toward the purple cloud is from South Korea (the movie emphasizes the South part many times, for reasons I assume the studio knows better than I). None of this is explained and, indeed, seems to be beyond the point.

Perhaps this sounds fun-bad to you. It is not fun-bad. It is maudlin-bad, belabored-bad and also pretty boring-bad. If it’s fun-bad ruminations on troubled parentage and spider beings you’re after, please go see “Madame Web.” For me, the best part of watching it — other than getting the giggles when Hanus once again said “sssskinny human” in a clearly serious moment — was imagining how many people are going to click on it when it pops up on their Netflix page and wonder whether that doorjamb they’d accidentally knocked into yesterday had in fact given them a concussion.

“Spaceman” is neither particularly astute about human nature nor discernibly interested in the politics embedded in it, and it is not even meme-ably bad, which is a shame. So much wasted potential. With some room to breathe, to acknowledge the goofiness of its own premise, a layer of solemnity might have been dusted off without sacrificing heart and contemplation. A movie doesn’t have to be deadpan or serious to dip into the human condition. But “Spaceman” proves itself as inscrutable as a purple cloud in a sky, far beyond the reach of even the most thoughtful spider-therapist.

Spaceman Rated R for some scary space stuff, language and a slaughtered pig. Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

Alissa Wilkinson is a Times movie critic. She’s been writing about movies since 2005. More about Alissa Wilkinson

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  • Why <i>The Tourist</i> Should Be Your Next Netflix Binge–And What to Know Before Watching

Why The Tourist Should Be Your Next Netflix Binge–And What to Know Before Watching

T ake a break from endlessly scrolling through Netflix searching for something new to watch and just press play on The Tourist, the BBC series which stars Jamie Dornan as a mysterious Irishman who wakes up in an Australian hospital with amnesia.

The wry thriller isn’t necessarily new—it premiered on the BBC in 2022 and quickly became one of the U.K.’s most-watched dramas of that year—but it is a recent addition to Netflix, which acquired the exclusive rights to the series last year and started streaming it in February. (Season 1 of The Tourist was previously available to stream in the U.S. on Max.) 

At just six episodes, The Tourist is a low-risk, high-reward viewing experience full of twists and turns that are sure to keep you on your toes. Think Memento if directed by the Coen Brothers . Even better, if you like what you see, you can launch right into season 2, which is now streaming.

Here is what you need to know about your next great Netflix binge . 

What is The Tourist about?

The Tourist begins with an Irish guy (played by Dornan) making a pit stop at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, Australia. Nothing seems too out of the ordinary; he fills up his car, questions the gas station attendant’s bathroom key policy, visits the absolutely filthy restroom, and is on his way. But things get weird once he gets back on the road. He finds himself being harassed by a tractor trailer that seems hellbent on mowing him down. Just when it appears that he’s in the clear, he’s T-boned by the truck and left for dead on the side of the dirt road. 

When he wakes up, he’s in the hospital and has no memory of the accident or who he is. He doesn’t have a wallet or ID or phone on him to help jog his memory. This nameless man is now a tourist in his own life, struggling to understand who he was and why someone wanted him dead so badly. With help from a few kind, but not necessarily trustworthy strangers including Probationary Constable Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald), local waitress Luci (Shalom Brune-Franklin), and Detective Inspector Lachlan Rogers (Damon Herriman), he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that leaves him with more questions than answers about his dark past. 

Why it’s worth your time

la movie tourism

Let’s start with Jamie Dornan. He played the leading man in the Fifty Shades trilogy and the Academy Award-nominated 2021 drama Belfast , but The Tourist feels like the first time he’s been able to truly show his range as an actor. It’s hard to resist that Irish brogue, but it’s even harder to resist his “ get you a man that can do both ” charm. Fans of the superbly silly Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar already know how funny he can be—not to mention, what a great singer he is. But The Tourist lets him show off his dry, dark wit, while also letting him show off his romantic side. By the end of the series, you’ll be left wondering why he hasn’t yet been cast in a good rom-com. (Sorry, not sorry Wild Mountain Thyme .) In the show’s most gripping action sequences, he manages to channel another amnesiac with killer instincts, Jason Bourne. But thanks to his hangdog expression, Dornan is also able to pull off the existential dread his character feels after realizing he’s not the person he hoped he would be.

Obviously, it’s hard to take your eyes off Dornan, but the scenery in The Tourist isn’t too bad to look at either. The show, set in the Australian outback—like way, way out back—was filmed on location in South Australia around Adelaide, a city known for its coastline. (Adelaide's North Haven Beach serves as the show’s stand-in for Bali’s Kuta Beach.) It was also shot in the Flinders Ranges , the largest mountain ranges in South Australia, and in Peterborough, a small town in an area near Adelaide known as wheat country, which stood in for the sandy outback scenes. (Season 2 takes place in Ireland, so prepare yourself for greenery as far as the eye can see.) Despite all the drama onscreen, The Tourist makes Australia look like a nice place to visit.

What to remember before watching The Tourist season 2

Whether you’ve already finished the first season and need a bit of a refresher or you’re planning to skip straight to Season 2, this is what you need to know before watching the second season. 

Warning: major spoilers for The Tourist Season 1 ahead.

The Irish guy with amnesia is actually Elliot Stanley, and he’s done some really bad things in his life. 

While in the hospital, Elliot finds a note in his pants pocket with an address for a diner in a tiny town called Burnt Ridge. It’s there he meets Luci (Brune-Franklin), a waitress who is actually his ex-girlfriend. She only chooses to tell him his name and their relationship to one another after they discover a man’s dead body stashed in an oil drum that had been buried. The man was Marko (Damien Strouthos), who, like Elliot, worked for Kostas (Alex Dimitriades), an international drug lord and Luci’s fiancé.

Luci isn’t exactly who she claims to be. She’s a scammer who stole a rather sentimental bag of money from Kostas in order to run off with Elliot. Now the Greek gangster is back to collect. But Kostas isn’t all that interested in the cash; a million dollars is chump change to a guy like him. This is about ego. Kostas, a maniac who spikes his water with LSD to be able to speak with his dead brother, wants to punish Elliot for successfully stealing his girl.

la movie tourism

Kostas decides to kidnap the wife of Detective Inspector Lachlan Rogers (Herriman) in hopes that it will scare the decorated officer into doing his bidding. It does; Lachlan apprehends Elliot and kills a young sergeant in the process, becoming one of the bad guys. But is Elliot also a bad guy? Probationary Constable Helen Chambers (Macdonald), the ambitious cop-in-training assigned to his case, doesn’t think so. She believes the fact that he was willing to save her from being shot by Kostas’ henchman means there is good in there somewhere, even if he has done bad things. But Elliot isn’t convinced that someone can really change. 

After drinking from Kostas’ LSD-laced water bottle, he has visions that offer some insight into who he may have been. He sees his first meeting with Kostas, where he’s hired as his accountant. He is able to relive his meet-cute with Luci and sees how toxic their relationship was. He discovers where he buried the bag of money and dreams of laying in bed with Helen. He also speaks to a Russian woman named Lena Pascal, who he’s seen before in his dreams. She tells him she’s in Adelaide and claims that she can help him “fill in the colors” of his past. 

Elliot worries that what he has seen aren’t memories, but hallucinations. When he finds the bag of money in the same spot he had envisioned it though, he believes that Lena may be real, too. Unfortunately, he can’t go looking for her just yet. After Kostas and Luci are killed in a shootout over the million dollars, Lachlan lies to the police in hopes of saving himself. He claims that Elliot and Helen kidnapped him and went on a shooting rampage à la Bonnie and Clyde, killing the young sergeant. Luckily, Helen is able to access the CCTV footage that shows Lachlan transporting Elliot in handcuffs, catching him in his lie. It saves both her and Elliott from going to jail and allows Elliot a chance to speak with Lena, who was not a figment of his imagination—though after their chat he wishes she was.

When Lena comes to meet him at the jail, she reveals that he wasn’t just Kostas’ accountant as he had dreamt, but helped train the drug mules, mostly young immigrant women who swallowed bags of heroin to transport across the globe. Lena tells a story of two girls who died instantly after the bags Elliot gave them exploded in their stomachs. Lena lived, but not without literal scars. She shows him the long gash across her stomach where she was cut open to retrieve the drugs. She claims Elliot was the one who ordered her to be butchered, worried the heroin would go to waste. He apologizes for his cruelty, but she doesn’t absolve him of his guilt. “You have to live with yourself,” she tells him as she leaves.

la movie tourism

Elliot doesn’t think he can and attempts to have himself arrested, but Lena won’t press charges. He then attempts to lose his memory again by getting into another car crash. He flips his car over, but unfortunately, it doesn’t work. He can’t forget what Lena told him and neither can Helen, who after learning the evil that Elliot was capable of decides she can no longer see him. But she can’t stop thinking about him and wondering whether he or anyone should be defined by their worst mistakes. 

Elliot wonders the same, but the guilt is just too much. He decides that he can no longer live with himself and attempts to take his life with vodka and pills. Laid out on his bed, waiting to die, he gets a text: a burrito emoji from Helen.

The burrito references a scene earlier in the show, when Elliot and Helen were eating together in a Mexican restaurant. Helen is his hostage, but the night plays out like a first date. Elliot can’t remember what kind of food he likes so she suggests they order everything on the menu so he can figure out his taste now. She encourages him to stop thinking about who he was and start becoming the person he is meant to be. He later tells her that he equates burritos with happiness and her text becomes a lifeline. He might not be able to forget what he’s done, but she believes he has the capacity to change. The joy on his face when he sees her message makes it seem as if Elliot finally believes he can change too. But fans will have to wait until Season 2 to see if he’s able to become a better person.

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Review: In art-world comedy ‘Problemista,’ it’s all about surviving Tilda Swinton at her scariest

A man with a backpack stands next to a woman in a green suit with red hair

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The sharpest movies about New York’s art scene — including 1996’s “Basquiat,” starring future “American Fiction” grump Jeffrey Wright — capture something relentless about the city. Desperation isn’t far from mind, nor the disparities of wealth and power between artists, critics and, up in the clouds, collectors and dealers. Maybe there’s a way to navigate it all, if you have the right strategy. Or several.

“Problemista,” the first feature of its writer, director and star, boyish comedian Julio Torres , adds a whole new wing to this tiny gallery of movies. (They come around so infrequently, it’s exhilarating to see one this confident.) Deliriously weird yet relatable, the film is, at root, an immigration tale, more autobiographical than semi: Alejandro (Torres), from El Salvador like his creator, dreams of making weird toys for Hasbro, but faces the ticking clock of an expiring visa and deportation.

It’s Ale’s detour through the catty art world, though — and into the orbit of the film’s alternately frightening and recognizable title character — that transports “Problemista” to a rarely explored realm of devilish mentorship. Here he’ll be tasked with the impossible. He will also find self-worth, a strange, ferocious kinship and maybe even a sponsor. If I call the movie a love story, don’t laugh. Torres has made it with love in his heart.

Julio Torres, in shiny silver pants, green tank and orange shirt, stands with hands in pockets before empty shelves

Julio Torres survived the visa office and the art world. His first film skewers both

The actor-comedian’s first feature film, ‘Problemista,’ draws inspiration from his own byzantine immigration experience as well as surrealist paintings.

Feb. 28, 2024

From the start, we’re in the company of a filmmaker who wants to try things. A prologue in a grassy magical playground (the movie is narrated by Isabella Rossellini , supplying instant cool) leads to a trash-strewn New York marked by ominous signs: a dangling purse trapped in the jaws of a subway door, prescription vials spilling out; an immigration office where rejected applicants simply vanish mid-conversation. Cowed by his own backpack, Alejandro tiptoes through America timidly, afraid to announce himself. Torres gives his character constant bedhead and it makes sense: He’s in a waking nightmare no less warped than the one from “Beau Is Afraid.”

Then she arrives: Elizabeth ( Tilda Swinton ), her hair and eyes in a perpetual code-red meltdown. The fury is palpable. No waiter is safe. No tech-support guru is helpful. Her purse contains a tangle of keys, adapters and what looks like a half-eaten chicken sandwich. To call it the most unhinged performance in a career that already contains “Trainwreck,” “Michael Clayton” and “Snowpiercer” is almost doing Swinton dirty.

Elizabeth’s husband, we learn, was a gentle artist, Bobby (a persuasive RZA), who painted unsalable oils of eggs but opted for premature cryogenic freezing, hoping to be revived in a future era in which he and his work would be better understood. Ale is getting laid off from the freeze lab when Elizabeth seizes on him, a potential helper. Could he carry Bobby’s canvases back to her ’80s-era studio loft? Could he co-curate a show of Bobby’s work? Could he soothe the rift with one of Bobby’s former lovers ( Greta Lee ) and get a missing egg painting back in the collection? Could Elizabeth, in turn, become his lifesaving signature? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

A man holding a painting of an egg stands next to a woman with red hair.

The plot develops in this vaguely Faustian way, always with the threat of incipient catastrophe, and it allows Torres to get at something not often seen in these art-world movies — an entitled hauteur that also, somehow, contains an invitation for comradeship. Ale will become Elizabeth’s project, so long as he can hold her attention. His status as an unpaid freelance assistant is made wobbly by a secret inability to operate FileMaker Pro and, worse, the arrival of a languorous, handsome intern, Bingham (James Scully), who comes from a place of such ridiculous privilege he seems to float. (Of a past car accident, Bingham purrs, “I probably ran over somebody, but my dad just fixed it.”)

Race plays an undeniable part of “Problemista” and Torres, formerly a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” has gone fearless when he could have just made something funny. It brings to mind another New York art movie, “Six Degrees of Separation,” which had the elegance of John Guare’s play to bind its elements more firmly. Torres gets at serious ideas via occasionally unserious methods. Turning the want-ads-site Craigslist into a whispering junk-heap demon (Larry Owens) is inspired; turning Elizabeth into a mythological hydra that Ale must slay in a cave feels like cosplay.

But what Torres nails is breathtaking, especially that midnight anxiety at the ATM, the scanning for sketchy cash jobs online and, most sneakily and warmly, a blooming connection. Elizabeth sees Ale, sees him fully, and, in a lovely, utterly unsentimental moment, advises him, “Get a name and become a problem for them.” He, in turn, learns to defuse her rages, standing agog at her rants, hypnotized by her force of nature. Eventually, he adopts her ways. She has made him a New Yorker — a gift, if you know how to use it.

'Problemista'

In English and Spanish, with subtitles Rating: R, for some language and sexual content Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes Playing: Now in limited release

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Joshua Rothkopf is film editor of the Los Angeles Times. He most recently served as senior movies editor at Entertainment Weekly. Before then, Rothkopf spent 16 years at Time Out New York, where he was film editor and senior film critic. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Sight and Sound, Empire, Rolling Stone and In These Times, where he was chief film critic from 1999 to 2003.

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Kim kardashian thriller movie lands at amazon mgm.

Natalie Krinsky is writing the project, which she will produce alongside the reality TV mainstay.

By Ryan Gajewski

Ryan Gajewski

Senior Entertainment Reporter

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Kim Kardashian

A thriller feature that is set to star Kim Kardashian has landed at Amazon MGM Studios .

Plot details are currently under wraps for the untitled project that stemmed from an original idea by Natalie Krinsky, who will write the script. Krinsky conceived the idea with Kardashian in mind, and it has yet to be determined whether the film will be planned for theatrical or streaming.

Kardashian, Krinsky and Made Up Stories’ Bruna Papandrea are set to produce.

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'the rings of power' showrunners sign new amazon deal, begin early work on season 3 (exclusive), the kid laroi doc from amazon mgm set to debut this month.

This is the latest acting move for Kardashian, who currently stars on the Hulu unscripted series The Kardashians after rising to prominence with her family’s longtime E! show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians .

In November, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Kardashian is attached to star in the comedy movie The Fifth Wheel from writers Paula Pell and Janine Brito, which Netflix landed in a competitive situation. The reality television mainstay is set to play the eponymous “fifth wheel” alongside a female ensemble cast in the project that Kardashian will also produce. 

The star previously appeared as part of the main cast of FX’s American Horror Story: Delicate , which debuted in September. The horror anthology series’ latest season also stars Emma Roberts, Matt Czuchry, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Cara Delevingne.

Kardashian’s other acting credits include Tyler Perry’s 2013 feature Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor and a voice role in the Paw Patrol movie franchise.

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Rita moreno says she took inspiration from hollywood “bitches” for ‘the prank’ role, rebecca ferguson joins chris pratt in thriller ‘mercy’, in new ‘garfield movie’ trailer, garfield’s long-absent dad enlists his help on an adventure, in fiery monologue, patton oswalt calls out david zaslav for dumping movies, ‘how to train your dragon’ lands ‘fall of the house of usher’ actress ruth codd (exclusive), deutsche bank frieze l.a. film award announces 2024 winning filmmakers.

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    Hotel Café -It is the location of Rebecca's Valentine's Day show in season one and the venue is a Los Angeles musical landmark in Hollywood. Some of the Hotel Café's most notable performers include Coldplay's Chris Martin, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and John Mayer. Address: 1623 ½ North Cahuenga Boulevard, Los Angeles.

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    0. Paramount, Warner Brothers, Universal—basically all studios in Tinseltown offer some kind of experience for the public. Fans can meander through sets, or gaze upon costumes or other recognizable props. You can pose on the soundstage of your favorite sitcom, or zoom around on a cart through age-old lots that have been churning out movies ...

  13. Step into Some of LA's Most Famous Film Locations

    Two of the collateral (and dubious) achievements of Quentin Tarantino's career defining post-modern LA noir, Pulp Fiction (1994) was the introduction into popular culture of the word "gimp" and his/her/its related locale, the pawn shop basement where Butch and Marcellus find a kind of twisted evil that goes beyond their gangland activities. Near DeSoto Avenue, in Canoga Park, the Crown Pawn ...

  14. 10 Picturesque Movie Sets You Can Visit In Los Angeles

    Established in 1953, Randy's Donuts (805 W. Manchester Blvd, Inglewood) has been a constant appearance in many of your favorite films, Mars Attacks, Iron Man 2, Get Shorty, and Earth Girls Are ...

  15. THE TOP 10 Los Angeles Movie Tours (UPDATED 2024)

    A: The best Movie Tours in Los Angeles according to Viator travelers are: Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood. Full-Day Iconic Sights of LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Beaches and More. Hollywood Sightseeing and Celebrity Homes Tour by Open Bus tours. The Official Hollywood Sign Walking Tour in Los Angeles.

  16. Guide to Los Angeles' Studio Tours

    Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio in Newhall, north of Los Angeles, is a working set for everything from westerns to war movies. Its museum houses nine decades of movie memorabilia, including the famous "Dukes of Hazard" car. Tours of the 22-acre lot are only available for groups, but if you come in April, you might be able to attend the ...

  17. The Los Angeles Festival of Movies, a new event, is coming

    Micah Gottlieb, seated, and Sarah Winshall, the organizers behind the new Los Angeles Festival of Movies, are photographed at 2220 Arts + Archives in Historic Filipinotown.

  18. 25 "La La Land" Locations You Can Visit in Los Angeles

    The movie is a love letter to Los Angeles and the dream of making it big in the city. It shows off some of the city's major landmarks and some often neglected gems. ... The dating montage in La La Land includes many beloved attractions. It starts with a stroll along the Fern Dell Trail in Griffith Park (5375 Red Oak Drive). This shady trail, ...

  19. Star Directors Buy Historic Village Theater in Los Angeles

    The purchase of the theater is the latest in a series of new openings and renovations of movie theaters around Los Angeles. In addition to Tarantino's Vista Theater, which reopened in November ...

  20. 12 Movies Set in Downtown LA

    BLADE RUNNER (1982) Harrison Ford, Sean Young and Rutger Hauer star in this neo-noir tale of a detective hunting super-androids through a future, dystopian, Los Angeles. It used a host of downtown locations, including the Bradbury Building, Million Dollar Theater and Union Station and it's one of the most influential sci-fi movies ever made.

  21. The Tourist (2010 film)

    The Tourist is a 2010 American romantic thriller film co-written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, and Timothy Dalton.It is a remake of the 2005 French film Anthony Zimmer. GK Films financed and produced the film, with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions releasing it in most countries through Columbia Pictures.

  22. Film tourism

    Film tourism, or film induced tourism, is a specialized or niche form of tourism where visitors explore locations and destinations which have become popular due to their appearance in films and television series. The term also encompasses tours to production studios as well as movies or television-related parks. This is supported by several regression analyses that suggest a high correlation ...

  23. Gran Turismo (film)

    Gran Turismo is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Neill Blomkamp from a screenplay by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin.Produced by Columbia Pictures, PlayStation Productions, and 2.0 Entertainment, it is based on the racing simulation video game series of the same name developed by Polyphony Digital.It tells the true story of British teenager Jann Mardenborough, a teenage ...

  24. 'Spaceman' Review: What Happened Here?

    Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan star in a baffling Netflix misfire about a man in, well, space. By Alissa Wilkinson When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site ...

  25. Why 'The Tourist' Should Be Your Next Netflix Binge

    The Tourist begins with an Irish guy (played by Dornan) making a pit stop at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, Australia.Nothing seems too out of the ordinary; he fills up his car, questions ...

  26. Content tagged with Film & TV Locations

    The Best Hikes in LA to Discover Film & TV Locations. Things to Do | Arts & Culture.

  27. 'Problemista' review: A raging Tilda Swinton at her scariest

    The sharpest movies about New York's art scene — including 1996's "Basquiat," starring future "American Fiction" grump Jeffrey Wright — capture something relentless about the city ...

  28. What to Watch: New Movies Releasing in March 2024

    La Chimera. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher (Le Pupille) brings her Italian-set trilogy, which began with 2014's The Wonders and continued in 2018's Happy as Lazzaro, to a close with La Chimera. The romantic drama stars Josh O'Connor as a ne'er-do well tomb robber in search of a special prize: A mythological door to the afterlife ...

  29. Kim Kardashian Thriller Movie Lands at Amazon MGM

    A thriller feature that is set to star Kim Kardashian has landed at Amazon MGM Studios.. Plot details are currently under wraps for the untitled project that stemmed from an original idea by ...

  30. A Food Network chef's favourite sandwiches in his hometown of Chicago

    The Sandwich King of Chicago, Jeff Mauro, shares his picks for his favourite sandwiches, from hot Italian beef at Village Tap to the Chicago Puerto Rican Original at La Bomba. Chicago's culture is ...